Supporting means for laterally movable sliding doors



T- MADLAND Dec. 17, 1957 SUPPORTING MEANS FOR LATERALLY MOVABLE SLIDING DOORS Filed Dec-J5, 1954 III.

v -/NVENTO,- THOEVQLD Meme/v0 United States Patent SUPPORTING MEANS FOR LATERALLY I MOVABLE SLIDING DOORS Application December 13, 1954, Serial No. 474,851

2 Claims. (Cl. 16105) This invention relates to laterally movable sliding doors and more particularly to supporting means for said doors.

It is an object of this invention to provide mechanism for supporting sliding doors for both lateral and longitudinal movements which shall be of such construction as to obtain vertical adjustment of said doors.

A further object is to provide mechanism for supporting sliding doors for both lateral and longitudinal movements which shall embody vertically adjustable cranks.

A further object is to provide mechanism for supporting sliding doors for both lateral and longitudinal movements which shall embody vertically adjustable cranks so disposed as to secure stability of the supporting mechanism.

A further object is to provide mechanism for supporting sliding doors for both lateral and longitudinal movements which shall embody cranks having adjustably related crank arms and spindles.

A further object is to provide mechanism for supporting sliding doors for both lateral and longitudinal movements which shall embody cranks having adjustably related crank arms and spindles and wherein the spindles shall be supported on their bottoms.

A further object is to provide mechanism for supporting sliding doors for both lateral and longitudinal movements which shall embody cranks having adjustably related crank arms and spindles and so constructed as to prevent relative rotation between the crank arms and the spindles.

A further object is to provide mechanism for supporting sliding doors for both lateral and longitudinal movements which shall embody spaced rollers and crank arms and spindles and wherein the spindles shall be disposed between and in alinement with the rollers and the crank arms shall be adjustable vertically relative to the spindles.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the description thereof proceeds.

in the drawing Fig. l is a fragmentary elevation of a refrigerator car having a laterally movable sliding door supported by mechanism embodying the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational detail, partly in section, of one of the door supporting mechanisms embodying the invention.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the door supporting mechanisms taken from above the crank arm of such mechanism.

In the drawing the numeral designates a portion of a side wall of a refrigerator car. The side wall is formed with the customary door opening 11 which is adapted to be closed by means of a door 12 of any desired construction. When in closed position the inner and outer faces of the door are fiush with the inner and outer faces of the side walls of a refrigerator car as is well known.

To position the door within the door opening and to support the door for lateral movement into and out of the door opening and for longitudinal movement along the side wall 10, the door 12 carries spaced vertical bars 13 and 14 formed preferably of pipes which are rotatably mounted upon the doorby means of upper brackets 15 and lower brackets 16 riveted to the door. The upper ends of the bars 13 and 14 carry crank arms 17 which are provided with spindles 18 that carry rollers 19 disposed behind the depending flange 20 of a Z-shaped door retaining and guiding member 21 secured to the side wall 10 as by means of rivets. This construction is described and illustrated in greater detail in the patent to Beauch-amp, No. 2,658,243, granted November 10, 1953, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The lower ends of the bars 13 and 14 carry crank arms 22 provided with spindles 23 which are journalled in pockets 24 formed in door supporting carriages 25.

The carriages 25 which are preferably castings carry longitudinally spaced rollers 26 and 27 which are adapted to roll upon a supporting plate track 23 secured to the side wall 10 by means of supporting brackets 29. As clearly appears from the drawing, the pockets 24 are disposed between and in longitudinal alinement with the rollers 26 and 27. The carriages 25 as clearly illustrated extend downwardly below the top of the track and on opposite sides thereof so as to prevent disengagement of the carriages from the track and to guide the carriages along the track during the longitudinal movement of the door.

To impart lateral movement to the door 12 into and out of the door opening levers 30 pivotally secured to the bars 13 and 14 are utilized. Mechanism (not shown) but fully described and illustrated in the Beauchamp patent above identified is utilized in cooperation with the levers 30 to impart initial opening movement and final closing movement to the door out of and into the door opening.

In order that the seating and removing of the door 12 relative to the door opening proceed efficiently, the crank structure at the lower ends of the bars 13 and 14 are so constructed as to embody the instant invention. The crank arms 22 are formed with hubs 31 and 32. The lower ends of the bars 13 and 14 are received within the hubs 31 and are welded thereto. The hubs 32 are threaded internally as indicated at 33 so as to mesh with the externally threaded portions 34 of cylindrical members 35 which accordingly serve as the spindles of the crank structures. The lower portions of the spindles 23 are received within the pockets 24 formed in the carriages 25 in such a manner that the bottoms of the spindles bear upon the lower walls 36 of the carriages. It will be observed particularly from Fig. 2 of the drawing that the bottom of the pockets 24 is adjacent to the lower end of the carriages being spaced above the lower end only to such an extent as to obtain a Wall of requisite strength. This structure of the carriages, the relationship between the bottom of the spindles 23 and the supporting walls 35 and the longitudinal alinement between the rollers 26 and 27 and the spindles 23 provide a stability which serves to prevent tilting of the carriages crosswise relative to the track 28.

The threaded relationship between the hubs 32 of the crank arms 22 and the spindles 23 permits centering of the door vertically relative to the door opening. The upper ends 37 of the spindles 23 are rectangular in section so that these ends can be gripped by a wrench and the spindles rotated relative to the crank arms. Such rotation depending upon its direction will produce a lifting or a lowering of the door so as to insure proper positioning thereof relative to the door opening. The structure hereinabove described permits this adjustment to be obtained without the necessity for first lifting the doors so as to relieve the spindles of the weight of the door.

To positively insure rotation of the crank arms and spindles as a unit relative to the roller carriages, the in stant invention utilizes plate members 38, the inner ends of which are welded to the crank arms 22 as indicated at 39. The outer ends of the plate members 37 are bifurcated thereby providing branches 40 and 41 which are adapted to engage opposite faces of the upper rectangular ends 37 of the spindles 23. This engagement between the plate members 33 and the ends 37 of the spindles prevents accidental rotation of the crank arms relative to the spindles as the door is moved into or out of the door opening. In the vent that vertical adjustment of the door becomes necessary after the door has been in service, the plate members 38 are bent upwardly so as to be disengaged from the upper ends 37 of the spindles. These ends are then engaged by a wrench and the spindles rotated in the desired direction thereby moving the crank arms and the doors either upwardly or downwardly as required. Thereafter the plate members are engaged with the rectangular ends 37 of the spindles and the latter are thereby locked against rotation relative to the crank arms.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art, It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be comprehended within this invention which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. Mechanism for supporting a sliding door for lateral and longitudinal movements upon a track comprising a roller carriage, spaced longitudinally alined rollers carried by said carriage, a pocket formed in said carriage between said rollers and in longitudinal alinement therewith, a Wall on said carriage closing the lower end of said pocket, said wall lying adjacent to said track, a crank arm having a bore formed therein, the portion of said bore remote from said carriage being threaded, the rernainder of said bore being of a diameter larger than the diameter of said threaded portion said crank arm being adapted to be mounted upon said door for rotation relative thereto, and a vertical spindle having a lower portion 4 of substantially the same diameter as said pocket and said remainder of said bore and an upper externally threaded portion meshing with said threaded portion of said bore, said lower portion of said spindle extending into said pocket and said remainder of said bore and being supported upon said wall for rotation about its axis.

2. Mechanism for supporting a sliding door for lateral and longitudinal movements upon a track comprising a roller carriage, spaced longitudinally alined rollers carried by said carriage, a pocket formed in said carriage between said rollers and in longitudinal alinernent therewith, a wall on said carriage closing the lower end of said pocket, said wall lying adjacent to said track, a crank arm having a bore formed therein, the portion of said,,bore remote from said carriage being threaded, the remainder of said bore being of a diameter larger than the diameter of said threaded portion said crank arm being adapted to be mounted upon said door for rotation relative thereto, a vertical spindle having a lower portion of substantially the same diameter as said pocket and said remainder of said bore and an upper externally threaded portion meshing with said threaded portion of said bore, said lower portion of said Spindle extending into said pocket and said remainder of said bore and being supported upon said wall for rotation about its axis, and means for preventing relative rotation between said crank arm and said spindle during lateral movement of said door.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,983,125 Ellison Dec. 4, 1934 2,559,447 Madland July 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 418,557 France Dec. 13, 1910 

